Safety device for automatic electric gas-lighting apparatus.



No. 68I,754. Patented Sept. 3, I9OI. H. C. THOMSON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING APPARATUS.

Application filed Aug. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. THOMSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING COMPANY, OF MAINE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,754, datedSeptember 3, 1901.

Application filed August 6, 1900. Serial No. 25,984. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. THOMSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Safety Device for Automatic Electric Gas-Lighting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a safeguard consisting of an electric signalingdevice electrically connected with automatic electric gas-lightingapparatus; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide ameans for automatically announcing to the operator with certainty theextinguish ment of the light and the turning 01f of the gas in suchapparatus, situated at a distance from or out of sight of the operator,and, second, a construction, combination, and arrangement of theessential devices by which my purpose is accomplished into a practicalinstrumentality. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the back ofthe pushbutton plate, showing the signaling device and the electricalcircuits. Fig. 2 is a perspective of an automatic electric gas-lightingburner, showing the circuit connections with the push-button plate ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the automatic electric gaslightingburner, one coil of the right-hand magnet being removed and apart of thestructure shown in section and the circuit connections indicated. Fig. Ais a front view of the push-button plate and the signaling part of theapparatus.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Figs. 2 and 3 show enough of an automatic electric gas-lighting burnerto illustrate the application thereto of my invention. I will nowdescribe these drawings.

7 The burner-pillar A, above the lower platform B, has the lava tip aand the fixed electrode a. The double armatures b b are loosely pivotedat 1 to the burner-pillar, and from these respectively project the pins19 13 The oscillating gas-cock (not shown) has its spindle rigidlyattached to the plate 0, which has a notch 0 playing against a pin 2 tolimit the oscillation of the gas-cock, and said plate C also supportsthe pin 3, against which alternately play the pins 5 b according towhich armature is moved, for partially rotating said plate to open or toclose the gasvalve. The magnets D D are properly supported from theupper platform B by the screws 5. The moving electrode is the rod E,having the platinum tip 6 normally held in contact with the fixedelectrode a by the spring 6, and said movable electrode E extends downand projects suffieiently below the magnet to be elevated by thearmature b when the magnet D is energized.

F is an ordinary face-plate having the white and black push-buttons f f,and in the wellknown way the use of these buttons alternately admits'thecurrent to the magnetD for the purpose of energizing it to turn on thegas, separate the electrodes, and provide an igniting-spark, and to themagnet D to shut off the gas. The push-button f closes the circuit Y bybringing the spring G in connection with the plate H, and thepush-button f closes the circuit Z by bringing the spring I inconnection with the plate H, the plate H connecting with the batterythrough screw h.

The circuit in lighting the gas will be as follows, viz: Upon pressingpush-button f the current coming from the battery to screw It will passon through plate H, spring G, circuit-wire Y, binding-post y", magnet D,insulated wire g insulated collar a electrodes a e E, spring (2, throughthe burner to ground. The circuit in turning off the gas will be asfollows, viz: Upon pressing push-button f the current coming from thebattery to screw h will pass by plate H, spring I, circuit-wire Z,binding-post a, magnet D to B in the upper platform B, at which pointthe wire from the magnet is connected with said platform, and so toground.

I will now explain the drawings as showing my invention or safetydevice.

K is a small incandescent lamp. An auxiliary circuit X passes throughsaid lamp, so that whenever the push-button f is pressed the wire 70 maybe rendered incandescent in the way now to be described. The auxiliarymo circuit X is from battery to screw h, plate H, spring I, wire klamp-wire 7r, wire k circuit-wire X, screw :0, to the standard 00', uponthe rear of which is the contact-piece x (preferably having some springaction for sake of the contact,) supported by screws 6 6 and insulated,as shown in Fig. 3. When the armature b, is attracted upon its magnet.

being energized, the current is allowed to pass through the circuit X byreason of a contact between said spring :0 and armature b to ground. Inthe drawings I have shown the auxiliary circuit X as made and brokenbetween the contacts so and the armature; but it will be plain tothose'skilled in the art that it is not essential to make and break thatI circuit at that point, but only at some convenient point and at theright moment of time. In the drawings when the elevation of saidarmature b has brought the pin 19 in contact with the pin 3 upon theplate 0, rotating the gas-valve and shutting off the gas, and as thecurrent cannot pass through the auxiliary circuit X unless contact bemade between the armature b and the pin'm it is evident that if thevisualsignal K 70 becomes momentarily incandescent the operator ismadeaware that the gas-cock has been rotated, the gas turned oif, and theflame extinguished, because the construction is such that no contactbetween the armature b and the circuit-closing spring :0 can occur andbe maintained unless the gas has been fully shut o1f,that is, theauxiliary circuit is so arranged that movement of the armature b closesthe auxiliary circuit X in turning off the gas, thereby rendering thewire it incandescent. In order to insure this, it will be proper thatthe magnet D be wound witha wire of greater resistance than that of D inView of the great turning off the gas when the light is'extinguished.

The danger which my invention seeks to remedy is that in this variety ofapparatus the gas-cock may fail to be perfectly closed when the light isextinguished, whereby escape of the gas may continue; but under myinvention it will be seen that the auxiliary circuit operating theincandescent lamp or other signal can only operate upon condition of thegas-cock having been fully closed, and the apparatus automaticallyannounces the fact as to this.

Having described my invention, what I claim is L In combination with thegas-extinguishing circuit of an automatic electric gas-lightingapparatus having an armature, an auxiliary electric circuit, acircuit-closing contactpiece, and its insulated support, as part of saidauxiliary circuit, adapted to complete the auxiliary circuit upon makingcontact with some part of the burner when the gas has been turnedcompletely OE, and a signaling device operated by said auxiliarycircuit, sub stantially as described.

2. The combination with an automatic elec-' tric gas-lighting burner andits circuits, of an auxiliary circuit X, a signaling device oper-- atedby said auxiliary circuit, and contactpieces adapted to close saidauxiliary circuit when the gas has been turned completely off,substantially as described.

3. In combination with an electric gaslight ing burner as described, thetwo electric cir cuits Y and Z for turning on and ofi the gas, thepush-buttons and plate F, fif, the signaling device K, k, the auxiliarycircuit X, the contact-piece m and the insulated support w therefor,said contact-piece being adapted to close said auxiliary circuit bycontact with the gas-extinguishing armature and thereby simultaneouslyoperate the signaling device; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 4th day of August,1900, in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. THOMSON.

Witnesses:

FRED O. CHAMBERLIN, JAMES A. HURLEY.

